Challenge accepted - Sabaceanbabe

[talumin]

The sun beat down relentlessly, the heat like a physical weight on the man's armoured shoulders. He trudged along, sweat pouring from his brow, his head slumped. Every step was an enormous effort, but he had long ago set a rhythmic pace, one foot following the other. His body moved in a bobbing motion, the metal of his armour clinking with each movement. He wore a torn and dirty tabard, the colours faded almost beyond recognition. Sweat dripped from the tip of his long nose, falling to the baking ground beneath his feet.

His legs ached, throbbing pain shooting through his joints. It seemed like hours had passed since his feet had stopped from simply stinging and were now completely numb. He knew he needed to be somewhere, but the destination had ceased to have meaning.

The ground began to slope down and he stumbled, his boots kicking up dust. He wearily lifted his head and saw the cool shade of a copse of trees ahead. He stared at them blankly, his feet still moving slowly forward. His thoughts seemed sluggish and it was a few moments before he realised that he had found respite from the baking sun. A surge of energy staggered through him and he stumbled his way over beneath the canopy. Simply stepping out of the direct sunlight felt like a soothing balm passing across his body. Relief flooded him, washing away the bone-deep exhaustion that had sunk into what seemed like his very soul. He stopped, his legs tingling as they almost took yet another step forward.

Now that his brain had cooled, he began to take more note of his surroundings. The trees rustled softly in a gentle breeze and he could hear the babbling of water from down the hill. His heart picked up and with a great effort of will, he took a step, and then another. His legs cried out in protest but he ignored the pain.

He walked for what seemed like an hour, the sound of running water drawing him in like a siren's call. The path lead him down between towering walls of rock. Finally, he caught sight of the water; a winding river through a rocky gorge. He dragged his feet to the stony edge and looked down into the shimmering clear water. Something dropped into the water, creating ripples in the stream. It took him a moment to realise that he was crying, tears streaming down his face to drip and break the surface of the water. He stood there for some time, grateful sobs wracking his tired body.

We stir in our sleep, and then our eyes pop open in the darkness. What has woken us? We stretch our limbs, feeling muscles shift.

Eventually, his tears began to dry and he slowly pulled his armour off. He struggled with the mail coat, dragging it forcibly over his head, regardless of the metal chafing his face. The rest of the clothes were easier to remove, and soon enough after that he sat on the rock, his legs dangling of the edge into the cool, cool water. He couldn't clearly see the bottom and so had refrained from diving in immediately. His feet did not seem to reach the riverbed. He'd been distraught at seeing the damage done to them; blisters and sores over all of his toes and both heels. The water was cool against them, seeping into the callouses.

There is food nearby. That has what has awoken us. It has been many moons since we last ate, and although our stomach is still somewhat distended from the last time, we know that it can be a long gap between meals. We kick off from our nest and paddle through the water towards the disturbance.

The man closed his eyes in contentment. He leaned forward, cupping water between his hands to splash on his face. It did not seem possible, but he could feel the grime being washed away by the soothing water. He splashed more water over himself, letting it trickle down his limbs and create streaks of dirt. Afterwards, he leaned back. The sun, that before had seemed so torturous, did not penetrate the canyon walls so easily, and was now somewhat pleasant. He took a deep breath, allowing his knotted muscles to finally relax.

We can sense it above us, the warm flesh, the beating heart, the hot blood. We want it. We hunger. We rise.

The man started as he felt something brush his leg. Frowning, he peered down into the water. Was there something moving? That seemed impossible. The water was a little murky, the ripples making the bed of stream seem further than it was. He drew back. Something was bubbling under the surface near his feet. Confused, his brow furrowed further as he tried to determine the cause.

A sudden surge of water made him jump and something gripped his leg, sharp talons biting into his flesh. He let out a startled yelp as whatever had taken hold of his leg pulled hard, dragging him down into the water with a tremendous splash. His head submerged, water rushing into his mouth. He pushed himself up, breaking the surface, sputtering water. Another tug drew him under again, his arms swinging back and forth in the water, trying to find purchase. One of the made contact with something, and then he felt the horrendously strong grip that held his leg shift to his arm and back. He began to panic, kicking his legs in a vain attempt to reach the surface again. His chest ached and burned as he felt the grip clamp down over his shoulders.

It is struggling in our grasp now, limbs flailing. We take a bite, the sweet, sweet flesh tender in our mouth. It screams, a stream of bubbles fluttering from it's lips. It kicks at us, lashing out blindly. We latch on tightly, gripping it close to us as we continue to sink to the cool, cool depths. Blood streams up towards the harshly bright surface and we know we must deal with it before the scent and the thrashing draw the Larger Ones here to steal our prize

We sink our claws into it's chest, curling our fingers to tighten our grip. The struggles are lessening now, the bubbles from it's nose and mouth only trickling out as we drift down into the darkness. Soon we will be able to eat in peace.

No more bubbles...